Fabric support for a weaving machine

ABSTRACT

Fabric support and a weaving machine using the support, in which the fabric support ( 1 ) includes several supporting elements ( 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 ) which can be arranged next to one another and a profiled section ( 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 ) which is supported by the supporting elements ( 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 18, 19 ) and includes a guide surface ( 22 ) for a fabric ( 3 ).

The invention relates to a fabric support for a weaving machine. Weaving machines are known in which an elongate fabric support is fitted to the frame of the weaving machine. It is known, depending on the width of the fabric to be woven, to provide a fabric support of the appropriate length to the frame of the weaving machine. A fabric support of this type has the drawback that it is essentially only suitable to be used for weaving a fabric of a specific width and that usually the entire fabric support has to be replaced by a fabric support of a different length in order to weave a fabric of another width. In addition, it may be necessary to arrange certain modules within range of the fabric support in order to weave certain fabrics on a weaving machine. This may also require the replacement of the fabric support by a fabric support of a different length or of a different shape or the removal of the fabric support. Examples of such modules which may be mentioned are a weft monitor, a selvedge tuck-in device, a stretching blower, weft scissors or yet another module which can be fitted.

It is an object of the invention to provide a fabric support which can be adjusted to the width of the fabric to be woven in a simple manner and which can be adjusted according to the required modules for weaving a certain fabric in a simple manner.

In order to achieve this object, a fabric support according to the invention comprises several supporting elements which can be arranged next to one another and a profiled section which is supported by the supporting elements and has a guide surface.

By adjusting the number of supporting elements and by adjusting and/or replacing the profiled section, the fabric support according to the invention makes it possible to form a fabric support of a suitable length.

According to an embodiment, the fabric support comprises an elongate profiled section made in a single piece which extends at least across the width of the fabric to be woven. According to a variant, the fabric support comprises an elongate profiled section which is formed by several elongate profiled section parts which together extend at least across the width of the fabric to be woven.

According to a preferred embodiment the profiled section has a substantially U-shaped cross section.

The invention also relates to a weaving machine which uses a fabric support according to the invention.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings and from the subclaims, in which:

FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows a side view of a part of a weaving machine provided with a fabric support according to an invention;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a fabric support according to the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the fabric support from FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a fabric support from FIG. 2 having a different length;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a fabric support from FIG. 2 having another different length;

FIG. 6 shows a variant of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 shows a top view of a variant in the non-fitted state;

FIG. 8 shows the variant from FIG. 7 in the fitted state;

FIG. 9 shows another variant of FIG. 2.

FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows a fabric support 1 according to the invention. The fabric support 1 is fitted to the frame 2 of a weaving machine in order to support a fabric 3. The fabric support 1 extends at least across the width of the fabric 3, for example across a length in the order of magnitude of several meters. In addition, a reed 4, a reed beam 5, a clamping bar, 6, sley legs 7 and a sley shaft 8 are illustrated. The reed 4 is clamped into the reed beam 5 by means of bolts 25 and the clamping bar, 6. Diagrammatically illustrated temples 23 and guides 24 for the fabric 3 may be provided near the fabric support 1 in a known manner. Auxiliary blowers 9 are also provided on the reed beam 5 in a known manner. In addition, a supporting element 10 is illustrated which supports a profiled section 20 and is attached to the frame 2 by means of screw elements 21.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the fabric support 1 from FIG. 1. In this case, the elongate fabric support 1 comprises a number of supporting elements 10 to 19 which are arranged next to one another and an elongate profiled section 20 which is made in a single piece and supported by the supporting elements 10 to 19. The profiled section 20 extends across at least the width of the diagrammatically illustrated fabric 3 to be woven. Each of the supporting elements 10 to 19 is fixedly attached to the frame 2 by means of screw elements 21.

As is illustrated in an enlarged scale in FIG. 3, the profiled section 20 comprises a guide surface 22 in order to support and guide a fabric 3. The profiled section 20 is arranged on the supporting elements 10 to 19 by clamping, gluing, snap-fitting and/or attaching the profiled section 20 to the supporting elements 10 to 19. The profiled section 20 in this case has a virtually U-shaped cross section. The cross section of the profiled section 20 with a slightly closed U-shape, as illustrated in FIG. 3, allows the profiled section 20 to be snapped onto the supporting elements.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 only comprises the supporting elements 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 19 and a profiled section 30 which has a smaller length than the profiled section 20 in FIG. 2. This arrangement can be achieved by removing the supporting elements 15, 16, 17 and 18 from the embodiment from FIG. 2 and by replacing the profiled section 20 by a profiled section 30 of a different length A fabric support 1 of this type is used, for example, in order to support a fabric which is less wide than the fabric 3 from FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 shows another variant in which only the supporting elements 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 are provided, the supporting elements 10 and 11 having been moved sideways compared to the embodiment from FIG. 2. In this case, a profiled section 40 of suitable length is provided. Of course, other arrangements of supporting elements and profiled sections are likewise possible. It is an advantage of a fabric support 1 according to the invention that the positioning of the edges of the fabric to be woven can be selected and/or adjusted both on the left-hand side and on the right-hand side of the weaving machine.

FIG. 6 shows a variant in which an elongate profiled section 50 is assembled from a number of elongate profiled section parts 51, 52 and 53 which are provided on associated supporting elements in line with one another. These profiled section parts 51, 52 and 53 together form a single entity which makes it possible to support a fabric across its width. At the sides 54, the ends of the profiled section parts 51 and 52 are at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the composite profiled section 50, so that the fabric is always supported by at least one of these profiled section parts 51, 52. Analogously, at their sides 55, the ends of the profiled section parts 52 and 53 are at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the composite profiled section 50, so that the fabric is always supported by at least one of these profiled section parts 52, 53. In this case, it is difficult for a warp thread to move into the gap between two profiled section parts, as the gap and the warp threads do not run parallel to one another.

As can be seen, according to one possibility, the supporting elements 10 to 19 can be arranged virtually adjoining one another or with a certain distance between one another. As the profiled section 20, 30, 40, 50 supports the fabric virtually without interruption, it is not necessary for the supporting elements to be arranged adjoining one another. In this case, the various supporting elements can be arranged with a distance between one another. Normally, the profiled section is of sufficient rigidity to bridge this relatively limited intermediate distance. A possible intermediate distance is in the order of magnitude of ten millimetres. A U-shaped steel profiled section having a thickness in the order of magnitude of approximately half a millimetre is more than sufficiently rigid to bridge such a distance.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment in which some supporting elements 16, 17, 18 are provided with an associated profiled section part 61, 62, 63, respectively. The supporting elements 16, 17 are arranged next to one another and have been pushed towards one another in such a manner that the profiled section parts 61, 62 touch one another at the respective sides 64. In this position, the respective sides 65 of the supporting elements 17 and 18 are arranged at a distance from one another. In order to arrive at the position shown in FIG. 8, the supporting element 18 is moved towards the supporting element 17 until the profiled section parts 62 and 63 touch one another. In this case, the profiled section parts 61, 62, 63 together form a continuous profiled section 60. In this case, the supporting elements 16, 17 and 18, together with their respective profiled section parts 61, 62 and 63, can be fitted to or removed from the frame 2 in a simple manner. It is clear that it is possible with this embodiment to connect the profiled section parts 61, 62 and 63 permanently, for example by gluing or soldering, to an associated supporting element 16, 17 or 18. This makes it possible, inter alia, to attach the profiled section parts 61, 62 and 63 in such a manner that the desired intermediate distance between the associated supporting elements 16, 17 and 18 is ensured. This intermediate distance may, for example, be sufficiently large to allow a module to be attached to the weaving machine between the supporting elements, such as for example an auxiliary blower, a stretching blower, a weft monitor or even weft scissors or a selvedge tuck-in device.

In the embodiment of FIG. 9, two fabric supports 1 are arranged next to one another at a certain distance 37. The distance 37 may in this case, for example, be used in order to provide a selvedge tuck-in device, for example a mechanical and/or pneumatic selvedge tuck-in device, or any other module which can be fitted. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 9, a fabric support 1 is formed by supporting elements 10 and 11, to which a profiled section 70 is attached, and a fabric support 1 is formed by supporting elements 12 to 19, to which a profiled section 80 is attached. In this exemplary embodiment, the profiled sections 70 and 80 extend respectively across the width of a fabric 3 and 33. The fabrics 3 and 33 are woven next to one another on the same weaving machine. In this case, the distance 37 allows the use of a selvedge tuck-in device, in particular a so-called middle selvedge tuck-in device, which can interact with both fabrics 3 and 33 and which can work in combination with a reed which extends substantially across the width of the weaving machine, more particularly across both fabrics 3 and 33.

It is clear that a fabric support 1 according to the invention can also be formed by means of other combinations than those combinations illustrated and composed of several supporting elements and a profiled section optionally comprising one or more profiled section parts. According to the invention, the number of supporting elements and/or the number of profiled section parts can be chosen depending on the fabric to be woven. The fabric support 1 according to the invention may comprise a lip 26, which gets as far as into the guide duct of the reed 4 when a weft thread is beaten by the reed 4, but, according to another possibility, may, for example, also be designed without a lip.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the supporting element 10 has a collar 27 which makes it possible to attach the supporting element 10 accurately on the frame 2. Providing the supporting elements 10 to 19, more particularly the supporting elements 13 to 19 which are only attached using one single pair of screw elements 21, with a collar 27 offers the advantage that the supporting elements 10 to 19 can be attached so as to be accurately aligned with respect to the frame 2.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the supporting elements 10 and 11 have a length of, for example, ‘600’ millimetres, the supporting element 12 has a length of ‘300’ millimetres, the supporting elements 13 to 18 have a length of ‘60’ millimetres and the supporting element 19 has a length of ‘12’ millimetres.

The fabric support according to the invention can, of course, be used with various kinds of weaving machines, such as with an air weaving machine, a gripper weaving machine or yet another type of weaving machine.

Obviously, the weaving machine and the fabric support according to the invention are not limited to the embodiments described by way of example and illustrated in the figures, but may, within the terms of the claims, be designed according to different variants and in accordance with different combinations of the abovementioned embodiments. 

1-8. (canceled)
 9. Fabric support for a weaving machine comprising a profiled section forming a continuous guide surface for supporting a fabric, wherein the guide surface comprises an elongate profiled section made as one single piece extending at least across the width of the fabric to be woven or by several profiled section parts extending together at least across the width of the fabric to be woven, said profiled section or profiled section parts, being supported by several supporting elements.
 10. Fabric support according to claim 9, wherein the fabric support comprises an elongate profiled section made in a single piece which extends at least across the width of a fabric to be woven.
 11. Fabric support according to claim 9, wherein the fabric support comprises an elongate profiled section comprising several elongate profiled section parts which together extend at least across the width of a fabric to be woven.
 12. Fabric support according to claim 9, wherein the at least one profiled section has a substantially U-shaped cross section.
 13. Fabric support according to claim 12, wherein the at least one profiled section has a slightly closed U-shaped cross section.
 14. Fabric support according to claim 13, wherein the profiled section is configured so as to be snapped onto the supporting elements.
 15. Fabric support according to claim 9, wherein the profiled section is interchangeable with a profiled section of a different length.
 16. Weaving machine, comprising a fabric support according to claim
 9. 